


Viewpoints on the Demise of Venus

by bakedgoldfish



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-21
Updated: 2003-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-15 05:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakedgoldfish/pseuds/bakedgoldfish
Summary: Different views about Leo and Jenny's breakup





	Viewpoints on the Demise of Venus

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Viewpoints on the Demise of Venus**

**by:** Baked Goldfish

**Pairing(s):** Leo/Jenny  
**Disclaimer:** Don't own any of them, 'cepting the cabbie. He's mine, all mine... mwahahaha...  


**Jenny**

\------ 

"Come to bed." 

I stand there for a moment, just looking at him. His tux is all rumpled. He's been working, helping to run the country. And he looks so sad. 

Stop it. He forgot. Our anniversary, he forgot it. And for what? That Jed Bartlet is one lucky man to be married to him. Screw the fact that Leo's married to me on paper. Jed Bartlet's got his mind, and where his mind goes, his heart follows. 

I turn my back on him and walk back up the stairs. No sense in standing there, watching him wallow in self-pity. No, that's not right, he doesn't pity himself. He hates himself. I can see it in his eyes, the way his face fell when I reminded him that today--yesterday was our anniversary. He hates himself for this, and he hates himself for coming home late almost every day for the two and a half years. Three, even. Since the campaign started. 

I'm so tired. Two-thirty in the morning, and I'm still up. I can't believe I even thought that he'd be home at some reasonable hour. I can't believe I even thought he'd remember our anniversary. He didn't remember last year, either. Memory's spotty, at best, when it comes to him and his personal life. Politically, he's sharp as a knife. Smart, savvy, knows how to get people to walk through hell for him. 

But he can't remember an anniversary. 

The bed is warm. The pillow is soft. Leo's being quiet behind me, getting ready for bed as silently as humanly possible. He's trying to let me fall asleep before he crawls under the covers. But I can't fall asleep. Because he's crying behind me. Oh, I can't hear him; he hides it too well. But the occasional pause in movement, the occasional sharp intake of breath. I know he's crying behind me. 

God, I love him. I love him beyond words. No matter the problems he's had throughout his life, he's a good man. A great man, even. Greater than his president, and his president knows it. And he deserves someone who will be there for him, through it all. Lord knows I've tried. The drinking, the Valium, I was there. I didn't want to have to be there, but I was there. It hurt me, and that hurt him even more. 

I don't know how much more I can take. I love him, but I don't know how much more I can take. 

He's coming to bed now. I'm not facing him, but I can feel his weight shifting the bed. His hand is right over my shoulder, just hovering right above it. I can feel his warmth. He wants to touch me, to tell me he's sorry. I know you're sorry, Leo. Every time I remind you of something, the way you look at me tells me that you're sorry. You hate forgetting as much as I hate your forgetting. 

I don't think I can take this anymore, Leo. I love you, but I'm not strong enough for this. I understand exactly what you do, you don't realize that. I know you are one of the most important men in the country, but... Just once, I want to be more important to you than some bill. I know that's selfish of me, but, dammit Leo, I need attention. 

How do I tell him that. Every time I try, he just looks at me, like he's sorry. But he never does anything about it. 

He always forgets. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he'll try to make it up to me, with some expensive gift and an expensive dinner and things like that. And I'll forgive him. Because that's what he expects of me. Dammit, but I want to forgive him, too. So I will. 

Won't I? Oh, Leo... don't ever forget that I love you. No matter what happens, don't ever forget or think otherwise. 

No matter what happens. 

\------  
 **The Cabbie**  
\------  
You know, I've had some nice fares in my time, but damn, this has to be the nicest. Swanky neighborhood, and the lady who's my fare, she just about doesn't seem to care how much she has to pay. Meter's running, and I've been sitting here so long she's already run up to ten bucks. She's even loading her own bags. I tried to help her, but she just gave me this real sweet smile and said, don't worry 'bout it. 

I guess she's got a few more things or something, cuz she just went back in that house 'a hers. And a fine house it is. Big lawn. Big house. Real swanky neighborhood. 

I figure she's some socialite, or something. Most of the Congressmen, they got these little brick numbers in Georgetown. Ain't nobody got a house out here 'cept the rich doctor and lawyer types. 

Hey hey, someone just pulled up. Nice car they got. Wonder if it's Ms. High Fare's boy toy. Whoa, guess not. Short, old-lookin', kinda official like. Looks kinda familiar, too, but I just seen 'im a little from the side. 

Hold up. Now, see, I get a lot of DC fares. I'm a DC cabbie, you know? I hang out in DC a lot, too, and cuz of that, I know politicians' faces. Hell, I know the faces of their *staffers*. Walking down Mass Avenue, I can tell ya just who works in Congress and who's a corporate jimmy just by glancing at their faces. That's not to say I know their *type*, that's just to say I know who they are. And I know their secrets. All cabbies in DC know secrets. Those damn politicians think that bulletproof means soundproof too. Just yesterday, I heard this one guy, works for Congressman Lillienfield, talkin' 'bout drugs in the White House. Hell, I know exactly who that Lillienfield staffer was talking about, too. Worst kept secret inside the Beltway. 

And that short, old-lookin' official type up there? Hell, that's the man that staffer was talkin' about. That's the White House Chief of Staff. McGarry, or something. Yeah, yeah, Leo McGarry. Wonder what- 

Ohh, High Fare's his wife, ain't she. They must be goin' somewhere, with the President. No, that don't make no sense though. If he were goin' somewhere official-like, he wouldn't take his wife along, would he? And even if she *did* go along, they'd be in a Secret Service limo, not a cab. Heh, guess he got the week off. Second honeymoon, or something. 

Or maybe not... she's coming out alone. Business trip for her? Could be, I guess. Then again, if it were a business trip, she wouldn't be crying, now would she? Damn. Oh, man, that ain't a good sign. Where's that box 'a tissues at? Here we go. Here ma'am, lemme get the door for ya. Take these, ma'am. Uh-huh, no problem. Where we headed? Okay, Watergate, gotcha. 

Hope she's not payin' attention to me up here. Don't want her to see me reset the meter. 

\------  
 **Leo**  
\------  
But, god, that choker looked good on her. 

And she looked beautiful tonight. She always looks beautiful. She looked beautiful the day I met her, she looked beautiful the day I married her, she looked beautiful the day I left for Vietnam. She looked beautiful the day I came back, the day I found out I was gonna be a dad, and all those times that I came home at three in the morning drunk off my ass, she still looked beautiful. When I got out of Sierra-Tucson, she looked beautiful. And when I went to Jed Bartlet's house in New Hampshire to tell him he should be president, she looked beautiful. Inauguration day, she looked beautiful then, too. 

And walking out that door, with that great choker around her even greater neck, she looked beautiful. 

I should have seen it coming. Ever since I convinced Jed that he should run, I've been at home less and less. That all started three years ago. I'm surprised that she hadn't left before today. 

She's gonna be back. She only packed the one bag, all her stuff is still here. It's gonna be okay, you know? I hope it is. I don't know if I can go on without her. She means everything to me. God, why did I tell her that my job means more to me than our marriage? That's just not true, it isn't. I mean, my job is important, it's important as hell, but, I swear I'd give anything to have all that time back, so I can spend it with my family. Even if I were God himself, I'd have to give it up if it meant I could be with her. 

Except God himself doesn't have to keep one Jed Bartlet in office, now does he? Damn her for making me choose. No, I take that back. It's my own fault, dammit. My forgetful self, I'm the one who pushed her away. For Jed. No, I can't blame him, either, I pushed him to run. I wanted this job, and I wanted Jed to have his job, and I neglected to take care of this marriage of mine. Can't blame anyone except myself for this one. 

But she only took one bag. That's a good sign, right? She's gonna be back. And she did say she was gonna call me before she went to sleep, didn't she? Yeah. Yeah, she did. So she will be back, I think. I'm just gonna keep this between the two of us, because, when push comes to shove, she'll be back. She has to be. I mean, she was there for me for more than thirty years. Another two to six, it can't hurt. We'll have problems, sure, but when *haven't* we had problems? And she was there before, and this is nothing compared to what we've weathered together. 

So, I'm just gonna set my stuff down, change into some more comfortable clothes, and get some dinner, right? Right. Even though it's cold. I've got a microwave, it's no big deal, I'll just nuke the food and be fine. Watch some Letterman, even. Or Leno. No, no, I'll go with Letterman. Never could stand Jay Leno. Made all those stupid remarks about the bike thing with the tree, anyway. Guess you could call it a boycott. 

Where the hell are Jenny's clothes? She only had one bag... she, god-- 

Must've already loaded the others into the cab. Damn. Aw, hell. No, no, she'll be back, someday. Not tomorrow, maybe next week sometime. I'm gonna hafta keep the place up for her. Wonder if she took Ruth with her. Dunno. She'll be back, though. Right now, I'm hungry. I have to eat quickly, though, cuz I got that meeting with Hoynes in, lemme see--forty-five minutes. Okay, not that fast. But, fast enough. 

She took the champagne. Bless her heart, she got rid of it. She's always been so thoughtful of me, always. Even when I forget things, she remembers them for me. I remember once, when I had some notes for Jed, early on in the campaign, and I'd forgotten them at the house, and what did Jenny do? She drove out to that little hokey town we were in and walked right up to me with the damn thing. She's always been there for me, so sweet, so kind... so beautiful. I love her and I always will. Come hell or high water, I always will. 

Oh, god, Jenny. I'm so sorry. Come back. Please, if you love me, don't let me stay here alone. Because if I'm away from you too long, I'll die, I'll scream and collapse in a heap and curl up and die. If you come back, nothing will matter in this world but you. White House be damned, if you came back, I would just stay at home and put you on a pedestal and spend all my nights and days praising you. I will bow down to you every morning and do whatever you want me to do. You move me, Jenny, you complete me. Please come back, I need you. 

Come back. 

\------  
 **Mallory**  
\------  
Gotta get out of here. I don't think he told anyone yet, and I don't want to give it away by letting people see me cry. God, he looked so... I don't know. Desperate, broken, almost. He can't see it for what it is. 

He doesn't understand that mom's not going back to him. 

The car. Get to the car. There, I'm in. Now, where are those damn tissues? I can't believe it, mom and dad are breaking up... after all these years, they're breaking up. And mom's spazzing out about it, and dad just doesn't understand it. He's gonna come down hard on this one. He's flying real high, just thinking this is gonna blow over, and he's gonna crash land real hard. I just hope he tells someone, because I don't want him to be alone when he comes down. 

Damn, he won't tell anyone, I just know it. He'll probably try to keep it a secret from everyone. Well, there's always Margaret; she'll probably figure it out, and she'll be there for him. I just hope she figures it out soon. 

Mom would hate to see him like this, all out of it like. She loves him so much. I think the anniversary was just her breaking point, though. I don't think I'd be able to handle dad, either, if I were in her shoes. But I would certainly try. It's not like he's a bad man, or anything. He treats us well, and he's so nice. I mean, he doesn't try to hurt us. Just sometimes... I guess he does it without knowing it. 

God, I can't believe they're breaking up. It's all so sudden, too. No big fights, nobody getting angry at anyone else, just one day, the day after their anniversary, mom called me from The Watergate and told me she'd left dad, and dad called the next morning asking if I'd heard from mom because she was supposed to call him the night before and never did. He never even said the words, "She left me," just, "She's staying at The Watergate." And it still hasn't hit him yet. He's calling it "this thing". He can't even say the words. Can I? Separation. There, I said it. Divorce. Said that, too. 

I hope it doesn't come to a divorce. That'll be too much, I think. I know it will, though. This hasn't been as sudden as I wished to believe. This has been three years in the making. Ever since he asked my godfather to run for the presidency. I was kind of hoping they would lose, come to think of it. But they didn't, and now dad's one of the three most powerful men in the world. And because of that, he's not gonna go home tonight. Because he's got work to do. And I'm almost positive he's gonna come down tonight. I could see it in his eyes, when he was telling me it was all gonna blow over. 

God, I hope dad tells someone. I don't want him to be alone for this. 

\------  
 **Jed**  
\------  
Dammit! Two whole weeks, and he didn't tell me. How the hell did he let it happen? Jesus, and she was so good for him. How the hell did he manage to screw it up? 

I can't believe it. She left him. She's asking for a divorce. God almighty, but they always seemed so happy together. Every time I saw them, she was always clinging to him, stuck to him like glue. And they were always smiling. I've known him for forty years, and her for thirty-seven. I can tell when their smiles are fake. Those smiles when they were together were never fake. He's gotta fix this. I'm gonna call Jenny. Tell her she can't ask him for a divorce. People like Leo and Jenny, they don't just up and get divorced like this. I'm gonna find out what he's not telling me, dammit. People like them don't get divorced. They don't. 

He tried to blame it on me. Tried to squeeze enough time in between his wine-tasting club and running my White House, he said. Damn him. Where's Jenny's number. Damn, I don't even know where she's staying. Gonna try their house; knowing Leo, he probably let her have it. Where's that damn number. Okay. Got it. Jenny, pick up the damn phone. Jenny? I just heard. Yeah, he just told me... Jenny, what happened? He said you weren't happy... Wha...? Oh, Jen, I... lord... Are you okay? Okay... Yeah, he seems to be taking it well, but you know Leo. He's just keeping it in, I think. God, I'm sorry Jen, I never thought... You want a divorce? Jen, isn't there anything... Yeah, I need him, but so do you, Jen, he--Okay. Jen, if there's anything I can do to help... Yeah. Okay. I'll... I'll call you. Bye, then. 

Dammit. I never saw it. I've been keeping him here too late. I swear, I never saw it. I can't believe I gave the okay to schedule that stupid reception on their anniversary. Yeah, it was important, but I should've sent him home and told Josh to hold down the fort. Now my best friend's marriage is gone because of me. I took him for granted, and now he's hurting. Because of my lame-brainedness. 

Lord above, I've made some stupid mistakes in my life, but this one takes the cake. I've worked that man so long and so hard that his family is crumbling because of it. I've taken him for granted, and now look at what's happened. 

Forgive me, friend. For I knew not what I'd done. 

I have to talk to someone. Abbey. I have to tell her how much I love her. Abbey? Where is she? Abbey... No, babe, everything's not alright. Leo and Jen, they- 

Oh, Abbey. Please, love you so much. Just, come here a minute, please... 

Hold me. 

-end- 


End file.
